The DAP-Umno faceoff – Lim Sue Goan

The violent intrusion of Umno Youth members into the Penang state legislative assembly building and the demonstration outside DAP's headquarters are going to have an impact on the Bukit Gelugor and Teluk Intan by-elections, to the advantage of the DAP.

Ramkarpal Singh Deo is expected to sail past the election easily, but with MCA dropping out and three other contenders posing hardly any challenge to him, turnout is not expected to be too high. And with Umno Youth now creating some trouble, the turnout is anticipated to be bigger, thus expanding the Ramkarpal's majority.

By contrast, the incidents' impact on Teluk Intan by-election should command more attention, as its result is seen as a benchmark of reference for the next general election.

DAP didn't have the intention of fielding Dyana Sofya initially, but she nevertheless carries more symbolic significance as well as controversies.

To Umno, Dyana commands remarkable lethal power. Supposed to be an Umno "asset", she hails from an Umno family with his father and brothers all Umno members and mother a grassroots leader. Dyana herself graduated from UiTM, an institution heavily inclined towards the Bumiputeras.

How on earth could a young lady raised in an Umno family and having benefited from the New Economic Policy join DAP, and represent the "anti-Malay" party (as branded by Umno) to run in the election?

From the way she speaks, obviously Dyana has not been much influenced by her family's political education, and has shed the racial mentality of Umno people.

For example, she has proposed to set up an institution of higher learning in the like of UiTM for non-Bumiputera students, and has criticised UiTM for admitting the children of rich Umno leaders. She advocates fair access to higher education for all Malaysians irrespective of race, religion, sex and political affiliation, which is seen as way more sensible than Umno leaders calling for the closure of Utar.

She makes herself very clear on the hudud issue that her stand is consistent with that of her party, and will vote against PAS's hudud law bill in the Parliament alongside other DAP reps, if she were elected.

The country needs more young people like her with a broad scope of vision and independent thinking who will then influence their parents and other Malay friends. By allowing Dyana to run for DAP in Teluk Intan, more young Malays will be lured to join political parties other than Umno and this will help consolidate Pakatan Rakyat's support in the Malay society.

Without doubt, Lim Kit Siang has a much further and precise foresight than most other DAP leaders by first keeping Dyana by his side to be his political secretary, and then giving her a chance to run for the election when the time is right. While the move could be risky, it is nevertheless necessary strategically.

DAP has emerged as the country's second largest party post-GE13, and while the faceoff with Umno this time is borne out of no choice, it is nevertheless a path Pakatan Rakyat has to go through.

Teluk Intan is a semi-urban constituency with many village settlements. Some 23,301 or 38.61% of its voters are Malays. Malay rural areas have traditionally been Umno's sure bet, and if Dyana is able to make significant inroads into the rural areas and thrash race-based politics, the same should sound alarm bells in Umno.

Whether the so-called "Dyana hype" will eventually materialise is yet to be seen, but Umno is not sitting there doing nothing, so they start labeling her "traitor," "puppet."

Dyana and one by-election alone will not completely topple the political beliefs of the Malays. DAP will have to work harder in the future.

Conservative Malays may not be able to accept Dyana's embodiment of liberalism and progressiveness. Take PAS, for instance. Kelantan menteri besar cum PAS Shura council acting chairman Ahmad Yaakob has urged Dyana not to touch on religious sensitivity and avoid discussing the hudud issue in her campaign.

The fact is, DAP has indeed sent Umno into a state of panic, and intrusion into the Penang state assembly was a manifestation of such panic.

The aggressiveness of Umno Youth members and Umno's apparent tilt towards conservatism after the last general election, including collaboration with PAS to establish a joint technical committee on hudud law, have frightened many urban, young and middle-class voters.

These two by-elections are seen as litmus tests of Chinese voters' concerns about the hudud law, but with Umno Youth's unruly acts now, the focus seems to have been obscured.

If a significant drain of Chinese votes does not materialise and if Dyana is able to win some additional Malay support, there is no problem for DAP to retain Teluk Intan.

But how will Umno and PAS see a DAP stronghold? Will Umno become even more conservative or will PAS eventually back off from tabling the private bill on hudud because of this?

And if Gerakan's Mah successfully wrestles the seat from DAP's hand, will MCA and Gerakan be able to influence Umno to revert to the middle path? – Sin Chew Daily